Gujarat High Court today rejected the bail application of self-styled godman Asaram's son Narayan Sai in a case in which he is accused of offering bribe to officials to weaken a rape case filed against him by a Surat-based woman.
Justice A J Desai rejected the bail application of Sai, who is currently lodged in the Surat jail.
Sai had challenged the order of a Surat court in which he was denied bail in July. The bail plea filed in the second week of August had said that the police could not establish the role of Sai in the bribery case.
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Government pleader P K Jani had, however, argued in the court that the crime was committed in an organised manner and Sai should not be granted bail.
It was during Sai's remand period (in connection with the rape case) that the city crime branch had unearthed a plan to bribe policemen, doctors and even judicial officers to dilute the rape case.
The 42-year-old son of Asaram, has been arrested for repeatedly sexually assaulting one of the two Surat-based sisters, who was the inmate of his ashram here between 2002 and 2005.
In February, Surat police had filed a charge sheet in a special court against Sai and eight others charging them under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act in connection with the bribery case.
The Surat Police had named nine persons, including Sai, as accused in the charge sheet.
Sai's follower Uday Sanghani and builder from Surat, Ketan Patel, were also made accused in the charge sheet.
The sisters had lodged two different complaints against Sai and another against his father accusing them of rape, sexual assault, illegal confinement and other charges.
Police had booked Sai under the various IPC sections including rape, unnatural sex, molestation, wrongful confinement, unlawful assembly, rioting armed with deadly weapon, criminal intimidation and criminal conspiracy.
In her complaint, the younger of the two had accused Sai of repeated sexual assault between 2002 and 2005 when she was living at the Surat ashram.
